Edge punchcard

ABSTRACT

An edge punch coded card of double laminated construction including between the layers thereof, at the leading edge, magnetizable metal plate members. The plate members prevent feed track holes, punched therethrough to guide the card into a machine, as well as the leading edge of the card, from becoming mutilated upon repeated entry into the machine. The plate members further serve to enable one to magnetically separate a single card from a group of such cards.

United States Patent 1 1 3,560,719

[72] Inventor Ernest A. DahLJr. 2.673.033 3/1954 Gruver 235/61. 12UX Wilmette. 111. 2.973.959 3/1961 Stolk l 271/18-.1 [21] Appl. No 702,915 3.124.260 3/1964 Tidball a. 271/18l1UX [22] Filed Feb. 5. 1968 3.307.022 2/1967 Dahl 235/6112 [45] Patented Feb. 2, 1971 3.469.033 9/1969 Becking 235/61 12X [73] Assignee Business Efficiency Aids lnc. 3.478.877 1 1/1969 Parry 235/61.12X

i' Primary Examiner-Daryl W. Cook a Corpo a on mols Assistant ExaminerRobert M. Kilgore Anomey-Olson. Trexler, Wolters & Bushnell [54] EDGE PUNCHCARD Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

52 U.S.C1 235/6112; 271/18 [51] Int. Cl (i06k 19/02; sTR CT; An edge punch Coded card f double laminated 56511 3/ 16 construction including between the layers thereof, at the lead- Fleld 0f Search edge magnetizable mtg] plate members The plate mem. 235/61-12;271/18(-l )1 209/unqu1red); bers prevent feed track holes, punched therethrough to guide 340/1490") the card into a machine, as well as the leading edge of the card, from becoming mutilated upon repeated entry into the [56] References cued machine. The plate members further serve to enable one to UNlTED STATES PATENTS magnetically separate a single card from a group of such 2,608,347 8/1952 Ward 235/6112 cards.

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I L 35 J5 .14 if? PATENTED FEB 2 I977! acaoofoooooooo l EDGE PUNCHCARD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to punch coded cards for automatically operating machines, and more particularly to edge punched, coded cards.

In the field of punch coded operated machines, tapes are frequently used with specially adapted typewriting and bookkeeping machines. The tapes are punched in code, and upon insertion thereof into a machine, the machine typewrites automatically the message from the code punched on the tape. If the machine is used for typing invoices or the like, much of which follows an established pattern and which is duplicated for practically all invoices, the machine may stop from time to time during the operation to permit the addition of manually typed material and than again be reactivated by the coded tape for further automatic operation.

Because of the difficulty in handling tapes, more recently so-called edge punched cards" have been used to accomplish the above. These cards, like the tapes, are punch coded along an edge thereof and fed into a machine for automatically operating the latter. The cards, in addition to the coded punches therein, include a feed track which comprises a series of small holes running the length of the card and which are used to guide the card through the machine. Upon the insertion of the card into the machine, the feed track is engaged by a rotating sprocket or the like and is moved thereby through the machine.

Several problems have been encountered in the use of the above-mentioned cards. For one, the leading edge of the card which an operator inserts into a machine tends, after continued use, to become mutilated and eventually the card must be discarded and replaced. Furthermore, the initial feed holes of the "feed track also become chewed and enlarged by the teeth of the rotating sprocket. In addition, difi'rculty in finding one card from a group which has been filed in a drawer, cabinet or the like, has been encountered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a new, improved edge punched" card which does not suffer from the disadvantages mentioned above, and which is readily and easily obtainable from a stored or filed group thereof.

It is a specific object of this invention to provide edge punched cards of the above-mentioned type, each of which includes, formed in the leading edge thereof, metallic, magnetizable plates for preventing the mutilation of the leading edge and leading feed track holes of the cards, while providing a means for easy separation thereof from each other.

Briefly, a preferred embodiment of the edge punched card according to the invention, comprises a rectangularly shaped card having at the leading edge thereof, formed between the laminations of the paper of the card, thin, magnetizable metallic plates. The card is punched along one of the edges thereof between the leading and trailing edges of the card, with a series of feed track holes and coded punches. The feed track holes are punched along the entire side of the card as well as through one of the magnetizable plates, while the coded punches begin beyond the imbedded or trailing end of the magnetizable plates. A control opening is punched in the card, also at a point beyond the imbedded end of the magnetizable plates, and upon the engagement of the opening by detection means in the machine wherein the card is fed, the machine begins its automatic operation. Because of the magnetizable metallic plates which are sandwiched between the layers of paper of the card, the card can be magnetically separated from cards of the same type in a fanning type card file system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A better understanding of the present invention and its organization and construction may be had by referring to the description below in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. I is a plan view of an edge punch coded card according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the card of FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectioned view of the card in FIG. I, taken along the line 3-3 thereof, showing the card being engaged by the feed roller of a machine to be operated thereby; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the card of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings more in detail, FIGS. I and 2 thereof illustrate a preferred embodiment of an edge punch card 10 according to the invention. The card I0 is rectangularly shaped and comprises a pair of relatively long sides 13 and 15 with corresponding edges 12 and I4, and a pair of shorter sides 17 and 19 with corresponding edges 16 and 18. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the card I0 is of a laminated construction including first and second uniformly sized layers 22 and 24, respectively, of light weight cardboard or heavy paper which are sandwiched together in a surface-to-surface and edgeto-edge relation.

At the comers of the card, between edges 12 and 16 and I4 and 16, respectively, sandwiched between the paper layers 22 and 24 thereof, there are located smaller rectangular sheets or plates, 26 and 28, of thin magnetizable metal; the leading edges 35 and 41 of the plates being coincident with the leading edges 21 and 23 of the layers 22 and 24, respectively, of card 10. The paper layers 22 and 24 of card I0 are fused or bonded together and serve to secure the above described metallic plates therebetween, as well as giving body or rigidity to the card itself. Between the metallic plates 26 and 28, on the exposed surface of layer 22, is located indicia 27 which serves to identify the card.

Spaced from and running along side 13 of the card adjacent edge 12 thereof, and extending through metallic plate 26 as well as the laminations 22 and 24, is a series of predeterminately spaced feed track holes, such as 20. The series of feed track holes are placed in a straight line, and run the entire length of the card from leading edge 16 to trailing edge 18 thereof. On either side 30 and 32 of feed track holes 20, beginning at the imbedded or trailing end 34 of magnetizable plate 26, are located a series of code punched holes such as 36. It is this series of code punched holes, usually provided by a stamping machine or the like, which serve to operate the apparatus or machine into which card 10 is fed.

Located substantially halfway between edges 12 and 14 of the card 10 and beyond the trailing edges 34 and 40 of magnetizable sheets or plates 26 and 28, respectively, is a starter or control hole 38. The purpose of the control hole 38 is to indicate to apparatus into which the card 10 is fed, when the apparatus should begin to function according to the punch coded holes 36. The control hole 38as well as the code punched holes 36, have been positioned beyond the trailing edges of the metallic plates 26 and 28, so that the plates will be fully received by the machine prior to the coded functioning of the latter to avoid punch coding the portion of card 10 in which the plate 26 is located. This has been done because the punch coding machine might be damaged if the mechanism thereof was subjected to the metallic plate, and often the punch coding machine and apparatus operated by the card are one, and therefore the accumulation of metal filings therein may likewise cause damage thereto.

As explained above, one of the purposes of providing the magnetizable plates 26 and 28 between the layers of card 10 is that a group of such cards can then be filed, so that a person desirous of finding one card from the group can do so easily and quickly by the well known technique of magnetic separation. Briefly, a magnet is moved along an edge of a stack or group of edge punch cards containing magnetizable plates. As the magnet comes close to the cards, repelling magnetic poles are set up in the plates of adjacent cards so that the cards separate, enabling a person searching therethrough to easily discover the card for which he is looking. In addition, plates 26 and 28 have been imbedded or sandwiched between the card laminations at the leading edge thereof to prevent, upon the feeding of the card into apparatus, the mutilation of both the leading edge and the initial feed track holes thereof, and consequently the need to dispose of the card prematurely.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawings, there is shown in an enlarged view a manner in which the edge punch card 10 is fed into machine 60. A typical feed roller 42 of machine 60 into which the card is fed is shown in FIG. 3. The feed roller 42 includes about the outer perimeter 44 thereof a row of teeth, such as 46. It is the rotation of the roller 42, as shown in F IG. 3, by the arrow 45, here in a counterclockwise direction, which pulls the card into the machine. The leading edge 16 of card 10, which includes metallic plate members 26 and 28, first encounters the teeth 44 of the rotating feed roller 42, and is the edge which invariably becomes mutilated in an ordinary card after the card has been used a number of times. By providing the metallic plates between the laminations of the card, the latter is protected from mutilation.

FIG. 4 of the drawings shows a plan view of the card E of FIG. 3 as it is being fed into the machine 60 by means of feed roller 42. Teeth 46 can be seen engaging the feed track holes 20 which extend through the card laminations as well as metallic plate 26. The metallic plate 26 .prevents the feed track holes 20 from becoming enlarged to such a degree that the card will be improperly fed into the machine, as in the case of a conventional coded card which has been used many times. Furthermore, as explained above, leading edges 35 and 41 of metallic plates 26 and 28 reinforce the leading edge 116 of card 10 and prevent it from being badly mutilated so that the card can be easily and dependably fed into the machine.

Thus, the edge punch coded card according to the invention is durable, provides a long service life and is easily and quickly separable from a group of cards of the same type.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broadest aspect, and therefore it is the aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Iclaim:

ll. A punch coded card comprising; at least two layers of nonmagnetic material secured to each other in a surface-tosurface relation, said card having a leading edge and a trailing edge, at least one relatively thin plate member of magnetizable material for magnetic separation of the cards in a fanning card file system and disposed between said two layers with a leading edge of said plate member being coincident with the leading edge of said card for protecting the leading edge of the card against mutilation during repeated machine feeding thereof, said card having along one side thereof, between the trailing edge of said plate member and the trailing edge of the card, hole means extending through both said layers and placed in a predetermined coded arrangement, said card also including, between said leading and trailing edge portions. feed track hole means extending through said plate member.

2. A punch coded card as claimed in claim l, wherein said layers are of a paperlikc material and are uniformly sized and rectangularly shaped, and wherein said card includes a pair of magnetizable plate members each being substantially smaller in area than said layers, each of said plate members being in a comer of said card at the leading edge thereof spaced from each other along said last mentioned edge.

3, A punch coded card as claimed in claim 2 wherein said feed track hole means extend in a substantially straight line form the leading-to the trailing edge of said card and are placed through one of said magnetizable plate members as well as said layers of said card, and wherein said coded hole means are located on either side of said feed track hole means and extend from the trailing edge of said one plate member toward the trailing edge of said card.

4. A punch coded card as claimed in claim 2 wherein, said card further includes control hole means extending therethrough, said control hole means being located between said plate members beyond the trailing e ges thereof, and

wherein said card further includes on one surface along the leading edge thereof, between said plate members, indicia for designating said card.

5. A punch coded card as claimed in claim ll, wherein said 

1. A punch coded card comprising; at least two layers of nonmagnetic material secured to each other in a surface-tosurface relation, said card having a leading edge and a trailing edge, at least one relatively thin plate member of magnetizable material for magnetic separation of the cards in a fanning card file system and disposed between sAid two layers with a leading edge of said plate member being coincident with the leading edge of said card for protecting the leading edge of the card against mutilation during repeated machine feeding thereof, said card having along one side thereof, between the trailing edge of said plate member and the trailing edge of the card, hole means extending through both said layers and placed in a predetermined coded arrangement, said card also including, between said leading and trailing edge portions, feed track hole means extending through said plate member.
 2. A punch coded card as claimed in claim 1, wherein said layers are of a paperlike material and are uniformly sized and rectangularly shaped, and wherein said card includes a pair of magnetizable plate members each being substantially smaller in area than said layers, each of said plate members being in a corner of said card at the leading edge thereof spaced from each other along said last mentioned edge.
 3. A punch coded card as claimed in claim 2 wherein said feed track hole means extend in a substantially straight line form the leading to the trailing edge of said card and are placed through one of said magnetizable plate members as well as said layers of said card, and wherein said coded hole means are located on either side of said feed track hole means and extend from the trailing edge of said one plate member toward the trailing edge of said card.
 4. A punch coded card as claimed in claim 2 wherein, said card further includes control hole means extending therethrough, said control hole means being located between said plate members beyond the trailing edges thereof, and wherein said card further includes on one surface along the leading edge thereof, between said plate members, indicia for designating said card.
 5. A punch coded card as claimed in claim 1, wherein said card includes control hole means therethrough in position for machine detection to commence operation after the plate member is fully received therein whereby to avoid punching the plate member. 